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Between slices of bread

Estacada restaurant owners and community members share their thoughts on sandwiches

August is national sandwich month, which means there's a lot to chew on in the coming weeks.

Though sandwiches have been around since the first century, their modern popularity is credited to John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich in England. One story says that Montagu, a frequent gambler in the 18th century, refused to leave his game for a meal and instructed a servant to bring him meat tucked between two pieces of bread. Another account says that he ate it while working at his desk.

Whichever the case, the idea caught on, and people began ordering "the same as Sandwich."

Today, there are countless variations on the Earl's initial concept of meat and bread, and no shortage of them are available in Estacada.

At The Cazadero, sandwiches and burgers are the highest selling category of food, and the restaurant recently introduced a food challenge featuring a sandwich with 21 ounces of meat.

The Cazadero's most popular offering is the prime rib dip, which has eight ounces of shaved prime rib, swiss cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms with an au jus sauce.

In second place is the BLCTA. As the name hints, it includes bacon, lettuce, cheese, tomato and avocado and is served on a hoagie roll.

The most labor intensive sandwich is the Matty Bomb, named after chef Matty Flink. It has 2 ounces of ham, 2 ounces of turkey, 2 ounces of prosciutto, eight slices of salami, pepper jack cheese, swiss cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on a hoagie roll.

Each morning, the meats for the Matty Bomb are proportioned beforehand to ensure that customers receive their food quickly.

The recently-launched sandwich challenge at The Cazadero includes 7 ounces of ham, 7 ounces of turkey and 7 ounces of bacon. Named the Royal Mickey after owner Sherry Andrus' late grandmother, it also includes lettuce, tomatoes and onions and is served between two hoagie rolls.

"It was a struggle to find bread that would fit the sandwich," Sherry said.

The finished product is served with a pound of french fries. To win the challenge, participants must eat the entire meal within a half hour.

"It'll be exciting to see how many people do it," said owner Cam Andrus.

"We hope to build an energy about doing the food challenge," Sherry added.

She said her favorite sandwiches at the restaurant are the Matty Bomb and the prime rib dip.

Along with specialty items, The Mason Jar also allows customers to build their own deli sandwiches. Within this category, the most popular offering is turkey.

DeDe noted that the process of crafting a sandwich is important.

"We build all sandwiches with love," she said. "We take pride in all of our sandwiches. We train all of our employees, so everyone builds the sandwiches the same way. They'll taste the same no matter who makes it."

She added that there's a specific order to follow when creating a tasty sandwich.

"When you're building a sandwich, for example a BLT, you want the tomato in the middle and the lettuce toward the outside. You want the meat close to the bread," DeDe said. "It creates a flavor. If it's not in the right place, you're not getting the oomph that does in the sandwich."

Food for thought

Community members have many opinions on sandwiches. Am Griswold, an artist at The Spiral Gallery, said her favorites are grilled cheese with mayonnaise and pickles, and BLTs. Her fellow artist Jami Berry said that she enjoys "a good sub, with honey mustard and vinegar."

"It always tastes better if someone else makes it," Berry added, noting that Subway is her favorite spot in town to get a sandwich.

Griswold's restaurant of choice is Harmony Bakery, where she likes the fried egg sandwich.

"It's really good," she said. "I usually have them do the egg over easy, and there's lettuce, tomatoes and the works. It makes my mouth water."

Estacada resident Laurel Tenbush enjoys a tasty BLT from any local establishment.

"There are so many good restaurants out here. I eat everywhere," she said.

Charlie Hall, visiting the area from Kentucky, said his favorite is peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread made by his wife, Donna.

"It's like a desert," he said.

Dolly Cooper, a volunteer at the Book Nook, likes tuna salad with pickles and chopped onions on sourdough or Italian bread.